(Photo courtesy of TV Insider. “‘A Minecraft Movie’ featuring Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, and Danielle Brooks premiered earlier this month.”)

Abigayle Rettman
Connector Staff

The Minecraft movie premiered a few weeks ago on April 4 and is based on the 2011 video game created by Mojang Studios. This game broke the internet for years, and now it is making another breakthrough. This film has an abundance of well-known actors, such as Jack Black, who plays the main character, Steve. He is known for his comedy hits such as the spin-off “Jumanji” movies, the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise, and many more. Jason Momoa plays the vibrant role of Garett Garrison. Momoa is known for his roles in “Aquaman” and “Game of Thrones.” Emma Myers, as Natalie, also plays Enid in the hit show “Wednesday.” There is also Jennifer Coolidge, Danielle Brooks, and the after-credit voice appearance by Kate McKinnon.

This movie has been stirring up a lot of commotion lately, with middle schoolers all the way to college students. Around the country, viewers anticipated a certain part of the movie: Chicken Jockey! During the fight scene in a gladiator-style boxing ring, both Steve and Garett Garrison (Jason Momoa) fought a chicken that turned into a chicken jockey, which is a baby zombie riding a chicken. In many theaters, when this scene comes on, the audience gets extremely riled up. As soon as Steve yells, ‘Chicken Jockey,’ everyone joins in and screams while throwing popcorn. Some have even gone as far as to bring in a living chicken or rip up the couches in the movie theater.

Many viewers have been long-time “Minecrafters” who watch Minecraft gameplay on YouTube. In the movie, there were major Minecraft YouTubers who made a guest appearance in the movie, such as DanTDM, Aphmau, LDShadowLady, and Mumbo Jumbo. Among the other Minecraft YouTubers, one stood out more than the rest. His name was Technoblade; he was a famous Minecraft YouTuber with over 10 million subscribers. His Minecraft skin, or game character, was a pig with a crown on his head and was seen walking around in the movie. Technoblade was 23 years old when he passed away from cancer in June 2022. The heart-wrenching video was uploaded by his dad, announcing his death. The Minecraft community took a while to recover from this tragedy, but he will always be remembered and honored in this film.

This movie has had many mixed reviews; many people hate on the movie for the “dumb” plot and script, but there are also many who have loved it. A child by the name of Kevin Lobello, who battled brain cancer, had a dying wish to watch the movie before its release date; sadly, he was not expected to survive to the movie premiere. Luckily, he was able to watch the movie with Sebastian Hansen, one of the main characters who plays Henry. Later, Lobello was able to go on FaceTime with Jack Black (Steve) and Jason Momoa (Garett Garrison). This was one of the happiest moments of his life. When the movie critics hear the story of Kevin Lobello, they take a step back and realize how age can change your perspective on life. That moment made the pessimistic viewers a little less bitter about the kids movie.

Now it is your turn to go see the movie, but if you go, don’t make the mistake of leaving early! After the end credits, there is a scene that sparks rumors of a sequel. Steve and Alex meet in a very short scene, which made viewers wonder if the sequel could be about their future together. So, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, watch it for yourself and see if it deserves the hate it is getting or if the audience is too critical.